Eternal Night
by Sacredheart99
Summary: This is two years after Nightmare Moon took over Equestria, and the story of one Earth pony stallion named Hector's journey to reunite the scattered Elements and to find his lost love - Applejack. More chapters coming soon. Suggestions appreciated.
1. Kind Words

Chapter 1: Kind Words

The last thing I remember before the blackout was… the sun. Before Nightmare Moon returned with a vengeance, I used to love the night, but now I'm terrified of it. My name is Hector, and I used to work at Sweet Apple Acres with my sweetheart Applejack before the everlasting night arrived… but now we've been separated and the farm is in ruin.

If not for us Earth ponies, there would be no food or grass to go around. I can persuade the grass to grow with gentle words, and I can make little seedlings grow into tall fruit bearing trees that last millenniums... as Applejack could do. That was how we met, at a farming convention.

But… I don't know where she is. Once Celestia was overthrown, once the sun was put away, Earth ponies such as myself and my honorary older brother Big Macintosh have been put to extra work and I come back to my home exhausted and tired. Nightmare Moon is… benevolent most of the time, but she can be cruel and demanding.

Unicorns get off easy, as well as Pegasus ponies… but not us Earth ponies. I may rant about it a lot, but it's because it's unfair. We all miss Celestia, and if I could I'd bring her back in a heartbeat to feel the sun on my coat and… and to find Applejack.

It's not just because I miss my sweetheart, it's because little Applebloom and Mac miss her as well. In these dark times… you need friends and family. Without them, there is no true wealth.

XXX

"Hector, wake up. It's work time,"

The brown and white stallion opened his eyes, finding that of two green ones staring down at him. For a second, they seemed like the green eyes of his lost love Applejack, and he almost reached up and kissed lips… but alas, he thought, it was just the red stallion he called brother.

"Mac? I thought you were AJ," he said, sitting up off of his cot. His bed had broken in the fight before their ex-ruler Celestia had been banished to the moon by their new overlord Nightmare Moon, bringing everlasting night. Mac sighed with a wry smile "My voice isn't that feminine is it?"

Hector smiled and shook his head, standing and stretching as he put on the very same brown Stetson he had found after his love's disappearance. It had her smell; mud, apples and hard work… which translated to sweat.

It was dark out, as there was no morning and the smarter ponies were put in charge of determining times without the sun, informing the other ponies of the times and schedules for work and other events. Hector and Mac made their way out of the small house in the darkened and mostly empty Ponyville, the fields on the north side their destination.

As they walked, they passed the empty and desolate farm once known as Sweet Apple Acres. Then Hector stopped, staring the broken and faded sign: SW ET APP E AC ES.

Tears welled in his amber coloured eyes, as memories flooded his mind. Memories of the times he'd helped fill bushels with his love Applejack, the times he'd had to be test subject for her little sister's group's antics for their cutie marks, the times the two had fallen asleep together in the hay-bales under the light of the moon.

It was when he felt Mac's hoof on his shoulder that he blinked and faced his honorary brother with misty eyes. Mac had an understanding look on his weary face, and he knew exactly how Hector felt. He had lost everything in the span of a day, and it had happened so fast that he felt he couldn't do anything to prevent it.

"Do you think… we'll ever find her?" Hector asked, knowing the answer wouldn't be the one he wanted to hear so desperately. Mac looked to the ground, not speaking, but the emotion being conveyed subtly. He couldn't be sure.

As the brown and white stallion sighed, the thought of his work flooded his mind, and even though he could spend forever reminiscing about his apple-farming tree bucking love Applejack, he still had a job to do and would no doubt be reprimanded severely by Nightmare Moon if he shirked his work.

He nodded to Mac before beginning to walk with him to the fields, going to the equipment shed and taking out his halter and putting it on, walking to the barren field and kneeling down to the soil. With a deep breath, he began to utter words to the soil while his hoof tilled it gently, and he grabbed a seed packet that Mac had brought over, planting a small apple seed where he had tilled soil, covering it.

Mac hung by the sidelines, watching in a sort of silent awe as Hector's talent brought the small dried out seed into a small baby tree's beginning. "I always wondered how you could do that, make a little baby seed grow so fast" the red stallion said, eyes on the green seedling. Hector smiled weakly "I was just born with the gift is all."

It was true, Hector had discovered his talent for making desolate land become bountiful in seconds when he moved into his childhood home and found the ground too salty to grow anything. As several attempts had almost broken his heart, nothing growing, he planted a small daisy bush seed and started muttering broken sobs to it… and it grew fast.

He had been amazed at this, and began to grow more food for his family, and they saved enough up thanks to their son's talent that they bought a better house and entered the farming business to become very famous and powerful in the farming world.

"Applejack used to farm like that, but not as fast as you."

Mac's words, meaning to be a compliment instead made the shorter black maned stallion began to tear up. He remembered it all too well, AJ's abilities in farming were unparalleled by anybody Hector knew or would ever know, and the memory of the sweet farm-mare brought an ache to his heart that depressed him.

The red stallion apologised and began to walk with his halter attached to a tow, ploughing the field. Hector sighed, continuing to persuade the seeds to grow in the desolate field he would have to tend to every day or after a while they would wither and die without the presence of either his unconscious magic… or the sun.

Once the work was finished, he had several fully grown trees albeit ones that couldn't grow fruit just yet nor the flowers. The smell of the leaves of the apple trees however brought back memories. Memories of happy times with Applejack that both brought a smile and the sombre prickle of tears to his eyes.

The times they'd run in the Running of the Leaves together and tied together, but had both shared the prize money – which Hector had donated to the farm to pay for Granny Smith's new hip… which hadn't lasted long since she was one of the first lives to be lost in the overthrowing of Celestia. The battle was fierce and deadly.

"I guess it's time to go back home then, until tomorrow…" Mac hollered, putting the plough away and walking to Hector who had put his halter away and held AJ's hat to his chest as he gazed up at the trees that would bare flowers and fruit if he tended to them in the next few days. "I guess so, let's go then. I'll stop by the market for food."

Mac nodded and the brown and white stallion made his way down the winding dirt path to the market where ponies gathered, trying to make light of the everlasting night. Something had to be done about this, Hector thought as he purchased the essentials with the money he'd earnt farming.

He'd heard of the Elements Of Harmony, but knew not where they were. The six ponies who commanded them he knew lived in Ponyville at one point and had tried to stop Nightmare Moon using the necklaces of power… but had failed. Some say they went into hiding, fearful of their own lives while others say they… passed in the fight of good VS evil.

Being optimistic, Hector chose to believe that they were simply hiding out there somewhere and he had to just find them. Such treasonous thoughts would get him to have the first public hanging since a thousand years ago, so he'd have to keep them to himself until he could locate the six ponies of power.

Princess Twilight Sparkle had been one, until she had no doubt passed in the fight against Nightmare Moon, so she was out. She was the only pony of power he knew of, and would have to search the Canterlot library for books on the subject despite not being the sharpest tool in the shed.

Then something fell loose from his basket, and he noticed a small white rabbit holding a bundle of carrots he had bought. "Hey! Those are mine! I worked hard to buy those! Give them back you pest!" Hector demanded, the rabbit turning tail, giving the Earth stallion chase. He wouldn't let his hard earned food out of his hooves that easily.

He raced, using his skills from The Running of the Leaves, he followed close on the rodent's trail until they reached the edge of the Everfree, a neutralised threat area thanks to Nightmare Moon, with a small desolate cottage boarded up by a babbling stream that sounded too eerie for his liking.

The white rabbit looked back to see Hector close behind, diving into a small flap in the door. Losing his footing, Hector slipped and slammed his face directly into the door, falling on his rump with a groan, thudding his hoof on the door. "Give my carrots back you thieving rabbit!" he roared, nursing his bruised cheek.

There was silence before a timid voice called out "I-I'm so sorry, Angel steals for me and I don't want him to. I-I'll push them out the gap in the door. I'm so sorry for the muddle up!" and the bundle of carrots made its way out through the flap that 'Angel' had gone in through.

Hector was confused. Who was in this seemingly abandoned cottage, a pet rabbit maybe stealing for them? "Who are you? Who's in there?" he asked, knocking again and trying to peel the boards away with ease. It was done in no time at all, the door pushed open. A feminine squeak and a blur of movement alerted the Earth stallion to movement upstairs in the seemingly ornate house with many tiny staircases and bird houses a plenty.

He raced after the movement and noticed a pink tail peeking out from underneath a broken and dusty bed, the quilt faded. It most likely was once blue and pink. He pulled on the tail, apologising after, and yanking out something he'd never expected. A Pegasus pony wearing a black robe, starved and weak and frail, once long mane now cut short and jagged unlike the long unkempt tail with dirt and straw amongst the cotton candy coloured strands.

She looked up into Hector's eyes, her eyes bruised around the edges, bags heavy as if she hadn't slept easy in a long time. She squealed loudly and Hector stumbled back, covering his ears as the mare dove for cover into a nearby closet, shutting it behind her with a ca-chunk. "G-go away! P-p-please! I have no money! I have no food! I have nothing of value to loot! D-d-don't hurt me please!" she begged.

"What? I won't hurt you, I just wanted to know who you are. I'll share food if it loosens your tongue, ma'am" Hector said, taking a few carrots and placing them down for her by the closet door. It was a good minute before it peered open, and a turquoise eye peered out before the mare stepped onto the creaky floor boards.

She took a carrot and took a hungry bite, scarfing it down and quickly going for another one. She looked up, brushing dirt off of her wing which was bandaged and almost broken by the look of it. The bandages had been tied well, but the amount of dried blood on it worried the Earth stallion.

What had occurred such an injury?

"Now, if you wouldn't mind telling who you are and why your home is in such disarray…"

The Pegasus mare looked up and nodded, taking a deep breath. "My name… is Fluttershy, and I used to be the Element of Kindness, not that anypony still remembers the Elements… I remember them… I still have mine. It's hidden and it's priceless, oh pony feathers, I've divulged it! Y-you can't have it! I mean… if you wouldn't mind not taking it…"

Hector was joyous. He'd found the Element of Kindness, or some mare that claimed to be the Element. She could be some urchin for all he knew, but he'd heard Mac talking of a Fluttershy in the past. Some mare who was undoubtedly kind and loved animals, but he was optimistic; he looked at the cider mug as half full.

Looking to the mare, he looked around the broken home that this Fluttershy mare had made no attempt to fix, sighing. "Where is the Element?" he asked bluntly, standing and looking around from where he stood. The mare almost choked on the carrot she was eating, jumping up and standing at a particular part of the floor.

"I-it's not here, I p-promise… don't take it away! It's all I have to remember my friends by!" Fluttershy begged, opening her good wing which wasn't any better than the broken one. Her butter yellow feathers on that wing were ruffled and some were missing. She couldn't fly with wings in such horrible condition.

Hector went to argue, but noticed something shiny under the floorboards she stood over. He walked up to her, chest out, intimidating as he pushed her aside with no effort, lifting up the floorboards to reveal something wrapped up in a blanket with apple patterns. It was Applejack's blanket.

As he lifted the object up and out, he barely felt Fluttershy's attempt at beating his side with her weak hooves, opening the blanket to reveal a shiny gold necklace with a pink butterfly gem in the centre. He gasped. It was the Element of Kindness. This mare was telling the truth, she really was The Element of Kindness.

He looked to her in time to catch a weak punch to his jaw which felt more like a rough caress. "You weren't lying," he said, holding the necklace to admire "you are one of the ponies of power." Fluttershy nodded and sat back "I am, why did you think I was lying?" she asked, earning a half-hearted shrug from Hector.

"I guess in these times you can't trust anypony but family and friends, but if this does belong to you, then keep it, but please come with me. I want to rekindle the ponies of power and fight Nightmare Moon, I want to feel the sun… I want Applejack back…" he moaned, eyes tearing up, holding her hat over his face to smell the comforting smell.

The pink maned mare gasped softly, taking the Element from Hector and wrapping it up in the blanket. "You knew Applejack?" she asked quietly. He nodded "She was my special somepony, my love, my sweetheart. I-in the siege of Nightmare Moon we were separated and… I've been searching for her for years… you know her?"

Fluttershy nodded "She was my friend, and an Element as well. The Element of Honesty, um… why do you look so surprised?" she asked, noting the shocked look on the Earth stallion's white and brown face. "She… never told me that. Element of Honesty? And she lied to me? S-she never told me! How long has she had the Element?!" Hector asked in surprise, startling the mare.

She gathered her wits and spoke "Ever since we first met… I guess. But she probably forgot to mention it, she can be a little forgetful sometimes. Don't be mad, please." Hector couldn't be mad at Applejack no matter how hard he tried, he loved her too much, but it didn't stop him from feeling outraged that she had kept such an important fact secret.

He had never kept a secret from her, so why did she get to? "I'm not mad, I'm just… surprised. So will you come with me?" the jet haired stallion asked, amber eyes filled with emotion. Fluttershy nodded, scooping up the Element in the blanket and hiding it in amongst Hector's groceries as she packed what little belongings she had.

Then they were off, walking back to the house with one out of six Elements secured. One step out of six in the plan to take down Nightmare Moon.


	2. Nightmarish Being

Chapter Two: Nightmarish Being

XXX

The moment Flutters and I returned home, it turns out Mac and her were dating but got separated during the overthrowing of Celestia, and Mac wouldn't stop thanking me for bringing his fillyfriend back to him. I was glad, and after a long conversation before bed I got to know Flutters really well.

She told me all she knew about the Elements and her friends which were the ponies of power, the ones who tried to defend against Nightmare Moon but failed because of the stronger power the night queen held, scattering or perishing. Flutters refused to think of her friends as dead, but if it was a possibility… we were all bucked.

That night however… I had a dream about the fate of Equestria. And Applejack.

XXX

Amber eyes opened, belonging to the brown and white Earth stallion Hector Haybale, who stood shakily and saw a horrifying sight around him. The beautiful town of Ponyville, his birthplace, was in ruin. Flames licked the sky, the houses fuel, screams echoing all around only to fall silent a moment later.

A wave of panic hit him. This couldn't be real. He smelt the scent of smoke and death all around him, and instantly started running for Sweet Apple Acres in fear for his love's life. When he got there, found the whole of the farm in chaos, trees burning and buildings decrepit.

Tears filled his eyes as he ran through the ashes and scorching heat to try and find Applejack. No such luck befell the Earth stallion, and he ran to find water to put out the fire, but the pump wouldn't work; it was melted and stuck from the heat. He bucked it and water sprayed out, and for a moment he felt joy…

…until the water stopped a second later.

He cried out in frustration, running to the house to try and break down the door but stumbling back once the house went up in flames further. The flames must have reached the gas-line, he thought in horror. The explosion singed his fur, and he fell back onto the dry cracking ground from impact.

"No… Applejack…" Hector whimpered sadly, feeling his heart ache. Then he heard a voice calling his name. It was feminine, and had such an accent that it made Hector sound like 'Hec-ter'. Then the farm reset; the flames disappeared and a mare stood beside him.

He turned and saw it was none other than his love, his sweetheart Applejack standing beside him with a look of utter beauty upon her orange coated face. The very second Hector saw her, he hugged her tightly, sobbing into her shoulder about how much he missed her and worried about her. She gently patted his back "S'alright hon, just a nightmare."

Hector smiled and kissed Applejack's cheek, their eyes locked. "Where'd you go? Are you ok? Are you still alive? How could you not tell me you had an Element? Where is it now? Where are you now? Are you-" the orange and white Earth stallion rattled off, being silenced by his marefriend's hoof placed over his lips.

"Shh darlin', I can't answer them now. You need to wake up," the apple farmer said in her southern accent that the stallion found sexy. But her words shocked Hector. "No… this can't be a dream! You have to be real! No! I can't go on like this! It's been two years since I've last felt your touch! We never even… got the chance to…"

And as suddenly as he had fallen asleep he was awake, and as he sat up his forehead collided with another who stumbled back wincing. It was Mac, who had been trying to shake his friend awake during his nightmare. "Ow, darnit Hector! Your head-butts could shatter stone, oh wait, they do" the cardinal farmer groaned, nursing his forehead.

Hector sat up, brushing sweat from his brow and neatening his tussled jet black mane. Fluttershy sat by her cot – situated by Mac's – watching in fear, as she had been startled awake by her friend's nightmare. "Sorry guys, I had a dream about AJ again. I can't forget her, I just… can't…" he murmured, realising what time it was.

It was ten minutes past work time; he was late. He grabbed the brown Stetson AJ had left behind in the chaos of the overthrowing, rushing outside with a hurried Mac in tow who had kissed his marefriend goodbye. She was an urchin; she wasn't registered with Nightmare Moon and didn't have to work.

Hector and Mac however, did. They were both registered and had to work every day, spare for Saturday when they could rest their bones and relax and catch up on missed sleep. "Why… didn't you wake me up Mac?" Hector asked, running up the dirt path to the fields where he retrieved his halter and stood by the trees.

The red stallion shrugged "The ponies who normally announce the time have been changed, and I think even they forget what time it is. It's always night; that happens from time to time." Hector nodded to himself, smelling the Stetson one last time before whispering encouraging words to the apple trees that began to flower.

The scent of apple blossoms only reminded him of Applejack, and he had to dry his amber eyes more than once, seeing little green baby apples starting to form. "Applejack would've loved to see me grow these trees, she always did" Hector murmured to himself, moving on to the carrots which grew into little seedlings at the drop of a hat, then the tomatoes and potatoes.

After they were done, they walked back to the house, but stopped then a loud bell chime echoed through Ponyville. Both stallions sighed half in fear. That was Nightmare Moon's summoning bell; she wished for all the residents of the small town to gather in town hall for a meeting. Celestia knows what it was about.

Everypony filed into the hall where the citizens had first laid eyes upon the midnight monstrosity years ago, sitting down in seats as bat-pony guards kept everypony in line. The curtains of the balcony high up in the room were drawn and there stood the several foot tall alicorn Nightmare Moon, glaring at each of her subjects in turn before speaking.

"Greetings my fair subjects, 'tis I, your mighty leader" her voice boomed across the room "I have called this meeting to discuss an important matter concerning my rule over you all. The Elements of Harmony are long gone, and I have made sure they shall stay that way. They are dangerous, and they were the reason all along of why our fair land was threatened so often."

Ponies spoke quietly amongst themselves, the chitter silenced by a loud "ENOUGH" from Nightmare Moon who began to speak thusly. "Their power drew the dangerous creatures to us, ancient magic it t'was. My sister thought six mere ponies could control them, and was so foolish indeed. T'is why she is on the moon now, her horn broken so she may not return for many years. Then I shall simply defeat her again.

"The six ponies you once knew have all disbanded, some even killed during my overthrowing for many reasons. The blast of my magic could have disintegrated them, falling rubble of buildings could have crushed them, or even they could have been trampled in the stampede of frightened ponies.

"Rest assured my dear ponies, I shall let nothing harm you. Resume your lives, t'is all" the nightmarish monstrosity declaired, glaring at all her subjects in turn, her turquoise eyes locking with amber ones back in the crowd. Hector felt the burning chill of her eyes in his gut, freezing him in place as those once beautiful orbs belonging to Princess Luna now reached into his psyche, looking for something.

It startled everypony, especially the stallion she had locked eyes with, when she disappeared in a puff of blueish sparkling smoke, the guards filing everypony out to resume their lives as if they hadn't just been threatened / uplifted and assured by their usurped leader. If she could be called a leader.

Hector was the last to leave, all the denizens of Ponyville frightened and urging to leave, and he was far too paranoid now to want to be trampled like Nightmare Moon had said ponies had been. Had… had Applejack been trampled? Or crushed by rubble? Had she been disintegrated into mere nothing by magic? Tears formed in his eyes, and he bucked the thought immediately.

The image of his trampled, crushed or disintegrated love would not settle well.

Once everypony was out of the hall, spare for Hector, the doors closed before him with a loud BANG and he did the quickest 180 he'd ever done to find none other than Nightmare Moon before him. No guards stood at her side, yet she was powerful enough to not need them when facing only a few ponies.

He immediately bowed, fearful of the mare before him. She seemed more akin to a monster than a delicate and beautiful mare. Her eyes were cold as she looked down on him, not glaring this time. "Stand," she commanded, and he obeyed. With a shift of her unnaturally bat-like wings, she spoke. "You. You stand out, yet you are as mundane as dirt or a cloud."

She made no move to assure him she meant no offence and spoke. "You hold a… power, an energy I've not seen since before I triumphed over my sister in battle. This magic is rare, and fewer ponies poses it. What is your job, civilian?" she asked sternly, as a teacher would when reprimanding a truant student.

Hector swallowed the lump of fear in his throat, finding his voice. "I work as a farmer, your highness."

She nodded "As did the last pony to wield such inner magical energy, but alas, I fear she may have passed in the battle or fled. I cannot sense her life-force in my fair land, and know she is no longer a threat to my rule. You however, are right before me, and this energy is rarer than rare… making you a threat to my rule."

Her long horn blazed brightly, and a wave of panic washed over Hector as he realised what the mare before him planned to do to him. "Hector! There you are! Me and- lordy" a male voice said astonished, belonging to Mac who had just run up to the doors and found his friend before Nightmare Moon.

The alicorn immediately ceased her actions, disappearing with a puff of bluish-sparkling smoke, making the adrenaline rushing through Hector's body all the more real and noticeable, sweat staining his brown and white coat. He turned to his honorary brother, sighing in relief "Thank Celestia Mac, she almost killed me."

"Killed you? Why would she do that?"

"She said I had some kind of… magical inner energy or something like that. Said I was a 'threat' to her rule, and that I possessed a similar magic energy that a farmer had who wielded the Elements… APPLEJACK!" Hector realised, slapping a hoof to his face "She wielded an Element… and…"

The shorter Earth stallion fell silent upon remembering her harsh but potentially true words; _I cannot sense her life-force in my fair land, and know she is no longer a threat to my rule._ "And what? What Hector?" Mac asked, walking with his friend to the house. "And… she said that she couldn't sense Applejack's life-force anymore… meaning…"

"Nnope!" Mac protested, shoving the door open and frightening Fluttershy by accident who had been nursing a small sick bird in her hoof. "I won't accept it! My sister ain't gone! I know she's still out there somewhere, I can feel it in my gut!" he said, sitting on his cot and all but tossing his heavy halter to the floor in anger.

Hector sighed "I know, I won't believe it either Mac. But… things are starting to seem that way…"

A harsh slap was brandished across his cheek from Mac, green eyes watery "Shut up! She's alive! I'll find her myself if I have to! Don't give up on her yet, she never gave up on you, did she? No, she didn't, so why give up now?"

A squeal echoed from the butter yellow Pegasus at the corner of the room, cowering behind an upturned cot for protection. Hector rose to his hooves, staring his friend in the eye "What in blazes was that for?! I never said I _gave up_ on Applejack! I never will! I just said things are STARTING to see that way, not that they actually are!"

Mac quietened, turning his cot back over and laying on it "I'm… I'm sorry."

The night only got quieter from there, and eventually our protagonist fell into a deep sleep… of course dreaming of his love.

XXX

The smell of apples was all round Hector, the beautiful and bountiful Sweet Apple Acres his setting. He felt the soil beneath his hooves, so real, the sun warming his back as he walked into the house and saw just the mare he wanted to see, by the countertop making something. She turned, saw him and smiled.

He ran to her, wrapping her in a warm hug "I missed you so much…"

The farmer nodded "Of course hon, I knew ya would. C'mon, let's go to the fields… I wanna buck some apples!" she said, kissing his cheek and racing off with Hector in tow. They both arrived to the field, and they both sat down and began to talk.

"I heard earlier today that there could possibly be other Elements," Applejack began, sparking Hector's interest. "Funny, Nightmare Moon said I could have the same energy as you – how you control your element. Isn't that funny?"

The farmer chuckled "Yeah, but I wanna know something… have you found any other Elements? Any ponies-a-power?" she asked, Hector nodding. "Yeah, I found Fluttershy. Remember her? I just met her a day ago; she's with us now."

Then as suddenly as the world had come into beautiful being, the beauty vanished and was instead replaced with the burning world from the first nightmare he'd had. He backed away and saw that Applejack, his love, was changing form. Her limbs elongated, fangs grew where dull pony teeth were, eyes shifted from leaf green to turquoise. A sense of dread knocked the Earth stallion in the head.

The nightmarish monstrosity grinned evilly "T'was all I needed to hear."

Hector didn't have the time to react as the dark princess's magic summoned a sword, slicing a wound down his side to draw crimson to dot the dirt below. And as suddenly as he had fallen asleep, Hector woke, this time Mac sat away on his cot, fearful of what he saw.

Hector tried to sit up, feeling a sharp pain in his side. He placed a hoof to the pain, only to reel back and scream at what covered his hoof. Warm and wet and shining like liquid ruby; it was blood. The wound was real.

Then he passed out as suddenly as he woke.


	3. Loyal To The End

Chapter Three: Loyal to the End

XXX

I had been sliced along my side by our nightmarish leader in my dream, and when I woke I found the wound sustained into reality. I was horrified and scared for my life. Anything that happens in my dreams can really hurt or even kill me! I was just so needy and I just need my love back, I can't believe I told her about the Elements.

How dare that mother-bucker tamper with my dreams! I remember when Princess Luna entered my dreams once to help me face my fears, and she was very polite and tentative to my fears and needs. I miss Luna, and Celestia too.

Mac brought me to the hospital, and I got stitches and bandages and even got a lollypop afterwards. I would be off work, as my superiors said, and this didn't sit well. I had to keep working, and I had to keep working to find the Elements and the ponies of power. Now that Nightmare moon knew about some power I supposedly had and the fact that Fluttershy survived the overthrowing, this changed everything.

Flutters was in danger, and I volunteered to stay back and protect her, and Mac reluctantly agreed as he was the only able-bodied pony in our trio and he had to work. Now that my plant growing abilities weren't going to be there, Mac had to work harder than before and came home exhausted that night.

I wasn't going to give up then; we still had a fighting chance.

I was only more motivated by my injury.

I would not stand oppressed any longer.

XXX

It was midnight, the moon glaring down at the land with a harsh silvery glow that it always did. This unsettled Hector as he made sure both of his roommates were asleep before he pushed the door quietly open, thanks to the fact he'd oiled it recently, sneaking out into the night with a bag of his belongings.

Everypony was asleep, the town was too quiet.

Hector felt the pain in his side, pressing his hoof to it and wincing to remind himself it was real. Nightmare Moon had more control over him than he'd first anticipated, and it frightened him. Honestly frightened the stallion.

He'd never been tempted to run from a problem and never had he dared do it at night… and without anypony else knowing. He couldn't run as it was ill-advised by the doctors and could re-open the wound, leaving him vulnerable at a light trotting pace.

A morbid place in the back of his mind _wanted_ be targeted.

As he walked, he felt a cool breeze soothe his coat, gently tussling his jet coloured mane and making goose bumps form all over his dual coloured coat. It was a pleasant breeze, and eased his worries as he made his way out to Ponyville limits and took a deep breath, stepping outside of the fair town into the grasslands.

He got out his map, checking which direction he should search in first, deciding with the path he was on already. He'd cut through Canterlot in the process, and would make progress on finding other ponies of power, at least. Then there would be the mountains, cold and unforgiving. He doubted he'd make it that far without proper clothing, and he had only Applejack's hat and the small blanket that had held the Element of Kindness.

He gulped, walking all while ignoring the small buzz of pain in his side that became more and more insistent as he walked, stopping every half mile or so from the pain alone. A stitch or two had pulled and he could feel air on his wound under the bandages snaked around his gut, wrapping the blanket around it for warmth and protection.

After a long walk, about a day's journey he came to Canterlot where ponies of high society lived, going about their lives all while the moon still hung in the sky. Eerie feelings hit Hector like a tidal wave, knocking him temporarily into shock. Canterlot was the very Hub of where Nightmare Moon was.

"Just go get clothing, food and then leave. She can't know I'm here, it'd be too easy. I'm in her domain now, she could arrest me and lock me up for merely existing" he warned himself, walking to a store labelled "General Goods" and walked inside, buying supplies with the bits that had accumulated from his hard work.

He received a few suspicious looks from ponies, but they resumed their doings quite quickly, as if they were only going 'oh look, a peasant pony, back to eating gold encrusted caviar'. He just had to go to Canterlot Hospital and have his wounds checked out, and he'd be on his way regardless of what the doctor's word was.

Time was not on his side.

Canterlot Hospital was similar to Ponyville Hospital, but was much bigger and much more expensive looking. Flowers wilted by the doors however, and with a gentle touch and a whispered "Hello my friends," to the flowers, they perked up and retained their colours, amazingly fragrant.

The mare at the receptionist counter saw this and trotted over, smelling the flowers and smiling at Hector. "Oh my stars, I've tried everything to get them to grow but without the sun they wouldn't! How did you do that? It's amazing!" she smiled, rouge coloured eyes shimmering in awe.

Hector shrugged "It's just what I do, growing plants fast" the Earth stallion said, nodding to his cutie mark; a beautiful red flower emerging from a black seed. She nodded "Oh, I wish I could do that. The only thing I'm good at is taking calls and directing patients, not like I wanted to become a florist…" the unicorn mare sighed.

She shook it off "Well, would you like to check in? Normally you have to be quite wealthy, but since you helped my lilies grow I owe you a favour, but if you're just passing by I still owe you something. My name is Gilded Lily. Yours?"

"Hector, and I think I am going to check in, but only for a little while. I have to keep going, I'm… on a road-trip" Hector said, and the bubble-gum pink mare nodded and let him into the fancy marble-floored, high ceilinged, pillared and beautiful hospital.

Gilded grabbed a sheet, but Hector stopped her. "I'd rather not have records of being here. Someone's after me," he said, her beautiful face holding a confused expression until she spoke a single word "Stalker?" in a quiet, worried tone. He nodded, having to go with that. She nodded and smiled, putting the sheet away "Oh I understand, I've had a few stalkers before. Creepy mother-b… mind my language sorry."

He shrugged "Don't worry, I've heard my girl cuss worse than that. She dropped a barrel on her hoof, and boy, she swore like a sailor." Gilded smiled "Well, still though, sorry for my language. Let's get you to a private doctor, he'll see you over. What exactly did you need… oh my Celestia, how in sweet blazes did this happen?" she asked, gesturing to his covered wound.

"Work related injury," the Earth stallion said quickly, smiling nervously. He couldn't just say that their new leader had snuck into his dreams of his potentially DOA love and sliced him with a dream-sword because he possessed magical energy like the elements of Harmony did.

Gilded nodded, trotting upstairs with the much taller stallion, knocking on the door of a fancy looking white door with a gold letter and number boldly placed on it. The door opened in a mere moment and a tall, thin stallion with neat auburn hair tied back in a plait, jacket holding a pocket protector and a stethoscope around his neck.

A nametag on his jacket read: Dr Amber – PHD.

"Yes? Who's this?" he said in a higher voice than Hector had anticipated, adjusting the thick framed glasses perched on the end of his nose. The unicorn mare smiled, gesturing to the taller more buff stallion beside her "Amber, this is Hector. He's suffered a 'work-related-injury' and needs medical attention. I'll leave you to it!"

The blue coated stallion nodded to Gilded who trotted away happily, leaving the two stallions alone in the hall. Amber nodded and cleared his throat "Well then. If Gilded likes you, it means I can trust you. She's nice, but doesn't trust many ponies, rough childhood and all, but come on in. Let me see that wound."

Hector walked into the large, tastefully decorated room and was laid down on the cot by the large bed in the room by strong red magic from Amber's lightly arched horn. The blanket and bandages were removed, and the unicorn winced at the sight of the wound. "In all my years here, I've never seen an injury like this… how'd it happen?"

"I uh… I was lifting um… uh… w-with my friend and uh…"

The doctor was not pleased at the makeshift excuse, looking at the wound closely, realising something. "This looks too similar to a sword wound, I know because my papa fought for Celestia's Guard and got sliced just like this… I'll get clean dressings and give you fresh stitches as well as antiseptic to stop it going… septic. Wait here," the lankier stallion instructed, going to retrieve said items.

While laying back, he heard something through the relatively thin walls. Two ponies talking. "Did you hear about that special rainbow mare that they're going to take off life support after her injuries?"

"Oh that one, yes, I heard she looked like that mare… Rainbow Dash, I think her name was."

Hector stood with a wince, rushing out into the hall and seeing the two rich looking mares gossiping in the hall. "Where is that mare you were talking about?" he asked, and the mares seemed surprised to see him there, but the one with obvious hair extentions spoke "Down the hall darling, to the left. 2R it was. Why?"

Hector hadn't heard her question, he had already sped off down the hall towards 2R where the mare Fluttershy had described for him supposedly was, about to be taken off life support. If this was the Rainbow Dash who held the Element of Loyalty like Fluttershy had told him about, he had just chanced upon luck.

Just as the amber eyed Earth stallion burst through the door, he saw the mare. Cerulean coat, bandages wrapped around her head to cover her eyes, mane coloured with every colour he could imagine… and a single white cloud cutie mark with a rainbow lightning bolt.

Joy filled him, until he saw the doctor still going to pull the plug, rushing at him with all his strength and ramming him into the marble wall to fall unconscious. He looked to the bandaged and bloody mare, sadness falling over him like a wet blanket. She could be on her last leg, her final breath could have already been exhaled, but no. Her chest rose and fell with breath, the heart monitor steadying.

Dr Amber burst through the door, seeing Hector up and about, wound open and beginning to bleed again. He frowned "Hector, why did you run? Just let me patch up your wound before you go running off, here!" he said, levitating the Earth pony over to him, applying antiseptic (that stung) before stitching it closed and bandaging it with a little clip. "There all better. Now why did you run?"

Hector directed the other stallion's attention to the mare he presumed was Rainbow Dash, hearing a soft gasp. "Oh my, I… I remember her being checked in, and why was Dr Tender in here? He was supposed to be performing an operation on a foal with a tumour in her leg," he asked, standing up by the heart rate monitor and watching the mare's chest rise and fall steadily.

"He was just about to pull her off of life support,"

Amber gasped "What?! Tender would never do that! He loves life! I never remember giving him permission to… look!"

Hector looked, following the other stallion's pointing hoof to see 'Dr Tender' change shape, shifting into blueish-sparkling smoke, drifting away through an air vent into the night. A chill went down his spine; Nightmare Moon had been following him, planning to take the Element of Loyalty off of life support so she couldn't be threatened by the Elements' return.

Before the brown and white stallion could do anything, he realised Amber had already began to work some sort of medical magic on the comatose Rainbow Dash, stitching and fixing, mending and healing until not a single scratch was embellished on her sky coloured coat. Her eyes fluttered open, and they met amber ones.

The very instant her eyes opened, her hoof connected with Hector's nose, sending him stumbling back into the wall wincing. The mare sprung up, wincing at her still healing injuries, going into fighting stance at the two stallions in the room with her. "Come on, fight me! I'm not letting Nightmare Moon win! Um… huh? Where am I? Where's the girls? Where' s Nightmare Moon?" she asked in a tomboyish voice.

Hector winced and stood "You're in Canterlot Hospital, Nightmare Moon won. You've been comatose for two years Rainbow Dash, and I'm here to help you. Trust me, I'm with you there. I want the sun back I want Applejack back," he said, and Rainbow's brows went up "Applejack? You're… you're Hector, the stallion she was always telling me about. So… we lost?"

"Not quite, I've got Fluttershy back in Ponyville… but I can't go back. Nightmare Moon gave me this darn slice down my side, and she's looking for me. She almost took you off life support, the sick mare, but never mind. I'm looking for the rest of the Elements and the ponies of power, and I could use your help" Hector informed, earning a signature gung-ho grin from Rainbow.

"You can count on me Heck, I'm not going down without a fight! We need to get Flutters though, she's an Element too" Rainbow reminded the buffer stallion who nodded "The only reason I didn't bring her with me is because Mac would hate me if I just left with his fillyfriend, so we'll have to go get her. Up for it?"

He received a flap of two powerful wings and a smile "Let's do this."

But then another problem arose. What about the Loyalty necklace? The actual Element itself? "Rainbow, do you know where your necklace actually is? We need it, obviously" Hector asked, and Rainbow paused to think, nodding. "It should still be in my house, but it kinda plummeted from the sky into the fields just past Sweet Apple Acres to the west. If we're lucky, it should be still under my pillow."

Then Hector turned his attention to Amber, who was standing there looking scared for his life. "What should I do now? Nightmare Moon knows I've helped you! She'll come after me, lock me up even! W-what am I to do?! A-and Gilded! She helped you too! Goddess almighty, we're all criminals, treasonous criminals!"

He never liked to, but Hector had to slap the stallion across the face "Keep it together Amber, you're not a criminal, ok? Just lay low and stay safe. She left before you helped, so how is she to know?" he said reasoningly, the unicorn rubbing his cheek to soothe it "You're right. How would she know? I'll continue work here…"

The brown and white Earth stallion smiled, turning to Rainbow. "We'll get Fluttershy first, then the two of you can retrieve the Loyalty necklace from your house and we can start searching for the other ponies of power. Got it?"

"Yeah!"

"Then let's go."


End file.
